GUJARAT: On the eve of Lok Sabha elections in Ahmedabad, as many as 10 schools here received an email on Monday threatening bomb blasts, though a police statement said this was a hoax as searches failed to unearth anything suspicious.

After being alerted, police as well as bomb detection and disposal squad, dog squad and Crime Branch teams reached these schools and conducted a thorough search, a statement by Ahmedabad City Crime Branch informed.

''No explosives were found during the search operation. Our teams are patrolling these areas and technical surveillance has also been initiated about the sender of the email. We appeal to people not to panic and to stay away from rumours. This threat was a hoax,'' the statement said.

Ignore this email (sent to schools) and exercise your voting rights tomorrow without any fear, it asked citizens.

The schools that received the threat email included DPS and Anand Niketan in Bopal, Udgam School on SG Highway, Calorx School in Ghatlodia, Kendriya Vidyalaya at Chandkheda and Army Cantonment on Airport Road.

''The sender threatened to blow up our school. Our school has 24 hour security and NEET was conducted at our campus yesterday. We have not received any parcels from outside and our doors were also shut,'' said Udgam School administrator Dhimant Choksi.

''Some schools received emails threatening bomb blasts. This seems to be on the lines of bomb threats received by schools in Delhi some days back. As per our primary investigation, the email's domain is out of India. The email was sent from a location outside of India,'' Deputy Commissioner of Police (Cyber Crime Cell) Lavina Sinha told PTI.

During the search, nothing suspicious was found, she added.

The district education officer Rohit Chaudhary said after the emails were received schools informed local police, while his department updated the control room.

''A preliminary probe has revealed it was a hoax and the threat was given to disturb the peaceful atmosphere in view of voting on May 7, he said.

Polling in 25 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat will be held on Tuesday.